Snap over toggle switch mechanism



Sept. 5, 1950 P. J. MGLAREN EIAL 2,521,015

SNAP OVER TOGGLE SWITCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 27, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. PETER J. MQLAREN 8 OYRIL O. BENSON.

Sept. 5, 1950 P. J. MCLAREN ETAL SNAP OVER TOGGLE SWITCH MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1946 INVENTORS.

PETER J. MELAREN a By GYRIL o. BENSON.

WM, zw v 5 Patented Sept. 5, 1950 SNAP OVER TOGGLE SWITCH MECHANISM Peter J. McLaren, New York, and Cyril 0. Benson, Garden City Park, N. Y., assignors to The W. L. Maxson Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 27, 1946, Serial No. 718,832

2 Claims. (Cl. 74-97) 1 This invention relates to snap-over toggle switches; that is, switches of the kind in which a movable contact is snapped into and out of engagement with the stationary contact abruptly, regardless of whether the switch actuator be moved rapidly or slowly.

Switches of the type referred to are not broadly new. It is an object of the present invention, however, to provide an improved toggle switch in which the parts can be more simply and easily manufactured and assembled than in prior structures, and in which the dependability and durability are improved.

In carrying this object into effect, it is a feature of the invention that contact and actuating arms formed of resilient sheet metal are provided, these arms being formed with spaced confronting spring engaging edges and having a serpentine compression spring interposed between them, the arms further being provided at opposite sides of their spring engaging edges with tongue which penetrate the end convolutions of the serpentine spring and hold the latter in place.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

t In the drawing forming part of this specificalion- Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of an illustrative snap-over toggle switch embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in sectional, side elevation of the switch in normal, or unactuated condition;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the actuator depressed and the switch swung over to the opposite condition from that illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, detail sectional view showing fragments of actuating and contact arms and an interposed serpentine spring with the parts in the relative positions illustrated in Fi8- 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the parts illustrated in the positions shown in Fig. 3;

and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken upon the line H of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The switch I comprises a lower member 2 having notches 3 formed in its opposite side walls and formed with an interior block 4. The member 2 is provided with openings 5 into which attaching screws may be inserted. Upon one end of the block 4, two contact arms 6 and I are mounted. The arms, though side by side, extend diagonally inward so that their free or contact ends are located one directly above the other, the arm I being the lower one. The arm I is held in place by a headed screw Ia threaded into a sleeve ll which extends through the block 4. The contact arm 6 is retained by a screw 6a, threaded into an internally threaded sleeve (not shown) extending through the block 4, and through an extension Bof the block. A headed screw l2 threaded into the sleeve l 1 holds the terminal tongue 13 in place. The terminal tongue in is held in similar manner.

A combined contact arm and actuator arm member I4 is mounted upon the opposite end of the block 4. This member is cut out to form the inner actuator arm l5 which is relatively short.

and the outer, surrounding contact arm it which is relatively long. The common base of the arms l5 and I6 is clamped between the block 4 and clamping plate H by means of a headed screw threaded into a sleeve 20:; extending through the block. A headed screw I8 is passed through a terminal tongue l8 into the sleeve 20a to hold the terminal tongue in place.

The upper surface of the insulating block 4 is provided with an elevated portion 4a, a'downward sloping portion 4b, and a recessed portion 4c to aflord-clearance in the operation of the contact and actuating arms. A raised portion 4d extends from the surface 4b to provide a stopping abutment for the inner actuating arm under the actuator.

An insulating casing member 2|, complementary in shape to the casing member 2 is secured in place by a screw 22, the screw being passed through one ear of the casing member 2| and through the insulating block 4, and being threaded into the opposite ear of the casing member 2|. The top of the casing member 21 is provided with an opening 23 which is surrounded by a boss 24 at the inner side of the wall. actuating plunger 25 is slidingly received in the bore 23 and bears against the actuating arm IS. The plunger 25 is provided with a collar 26 which engages the boss 24 and limits upward movement of the collar. The actuating arm is initially deformed and displaced upward relative to the contact arm so that it yieldingly holds the collar 28 up against the boss 24 when the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

The contact arm I6 is of flat flexible construction throughout the length of the arm. The actuating arm, on the other hand, is of longitudinally flexible construction adjacent its anchored end, but is provided with longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs 21 for rendering the arm rigid at its outer end and throughout a considerable portion of its length. It is the rigid portion of the arm II that is engaged by the actuator 25. By varying the design of the casing 2| the actuator can be located nearer to or farther from the clamped end of the arm I5 to select a desired actuator stroke, the maximum stroke available being substantially twice as great as the minimum stroke available.

A serpentine spring 23, having a multiplicity of convolutions, is interposed under compression between the arms I5 and I3. The end convolutions 23 and 33 extend'in substantial parallelism to one another and each of them is provided with a pair of spaced, aligned slots 3i. convolutions 33 receive tongues 32 which extend outward from the opposite margins of the actuating arm I5. The slots 3I of the convolutions 23 receive similar tongues 33 which extend inward from the contact arm I3. Between the tongues 32 of arm I5.-the convolution 33 bears against an edge 34 or the arm I5. Similarly, the convolution 23 bears against an edge 35 of the arm I3 between the ears 33 of said arm.

In order that the spring 23 may rock freely upon the edges 34 and 35 and may apply its thrust directly in the planes of the armbodies. the arms are constructed to cause the edges 34 and 35 to be disposed in the mid-planes of their respective arms, and each to be bounded by faces which are perpendicular to one another and which make angles of substantially 45 with such mid-plane.

As best seen by comparing Figures 4 and 5 with Figure 6, the arm I5 has an oflset portion 36 which extends through the full width of the arm and a return portion 31 which extends at an angle of 45 to the mid-plane of the arm. The tongues 32 are continued from this return portionin the plane of the body of the arm I5. The return portion 31 also includes a tongue 33 which is separated from the tongues 32' by notches 33. It is upon this intermediate tongue 33 that the edge 34 is provided. The tongue 33 extends at an angle of substantially 45 to the mid-plane of the arm I5, and terminates with its outer edge 34 in the mid-plane of said arm. The edge 34 is bounded by an end face 43 and a side face H of the arm I5 which are disposed at right angles to one another each of which is disposed at an angle of substantially 45 to the mid-plane of the arm I3.

As best seen in Fig. 1, the arm I3 at the outer end thereof is formed with an inwardly extending projection 42. This projection is constructed in detail exactly like the outer end of the arm I5. Corresponding reference characters have accordingly been applied to the corresponding parts with the subscript a added in each instance. and no further detailed description is deemed necessary.

It will be evident that the spring is held inescapably and steadily in place by the tongues which pass through the convolutions 23 and 30. It isalso evident ,that when the edge 34 of arm I5 is substantially in the line of centers, that is to say in the mid-plane of the arm I3, the thrust of the spring is applied directly in the planes of the contact and actuating arms and against edges which provide freedom for rocking in either direction through a substantially greater angle than is required in either direction.

The operation of the switch is not fundamentally difierent from that of the switch disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States, C. M. Petersen #1,'762,075 dated June 3, 1930. With The slots 3| of the the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the

contact spring is held firmly down against the contact arm I. As the actuator 25 is moved downward the arm I5 is displaced downward until the edge 34 crosses the line of centers. The spring 23 thereupon expands, snapping the contact arm I6 upward to" carry it into engagement with arm 3 as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Engagement of arm It with arm 3 will be maintained only so long as actuator 25 is held depressed far enough to maintain the edge 34 of the actuating arm below the line of centers. Relaxation of pressure upon the actuator 25 permits the arm I5 to move toward its Fig. 1 position under its own force, the spring arm I5 being strong enough to overcome the force of the snap-over switch 23 and compress the latter. As soon as the edge 34 crosses the line of centers in its upward movement, the snap-over spring throws-the contact arm I3 to the down position illustrated in Fig. 2 and assists in moving the arm I5 to its upper limit of movement as illustrated in Fig. 2.

While two terminal tongues I3 and I3 are illustrated, either of these may be omitted, or may be left unconnected. If the tongue I3 is omitted the switch will normally maintain an open circuited condition with the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 2. Operation of the actuator to the position illustrated in Fig. 3 would close the circuit from the terminal tongue I9 through contact arms I6 and Gto terminal tongue It. If, on the contrary, the terminal tongue I3 is omitted, then the circuit would be normally closed from I9 to I3 with the parts in the positions illustrated in Fig. 2, and would be opened by depression of the actuator to the position illustrated in Fig. 3. a

If the terminal tongue I3 is connected to one terminal of a source of voltage, and the tongues I3 and I3 are connected in parallel to the opposite terminal of said source, .then the branch including tongue I3 will be normally energized with the parts in the positions illustrated, in Fig. 2, but such energization will be interrupted and the other parallel branch will be energized when the actuator is operated to throw the switch parts over to the position illustrated in Fig. 3.

We have described what we believe to bethe best embodiments of our invention. We do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what we desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim;

1. A snap-over toggle switch comprising, in combination, a contact arm, an actuating arm, said arms being composed of resilient sheet meta1, and having corresponding ends rigidly anchored in place. the free ends of the arms being formed with spaced confronting edges, a compression snap-over serpentine spring rockably interposed between said edges and having its opposite end convolutions narrowly slotted and in direct engagement with the respective arms, said arms also including tongues which extend through the slots of the respective end convolutions of the snap-over spring to maintain the spring in operative relation to the arms.

2. A snap-over toggle switch comprising, in combination, a contact arm, an actuating arm, said arms being composed of resilient sheet meta1 and having corresponding ends rigidly an- 6 ing its opposite end convolutions narrowly slotted UNITED STATES PATENTS and in direct engagement with the respective arms, each of said arms also having a, pair of gig g gs' z g' tongues at opposite sides of its spring-engaging 2063216 zapark; Dec 1936 edge for extending through the slotted end spring 2'198428 Turner Apr 1940 engaged by W 2 260 964 Wilms oct. 2s 1941 E H' gg i- 2,330,506 Mathias Sept. 28, 1943 2,378,784 Obszarny June 19, 1945 REFERENCES CITED 2,402,838 Obszarny June 25, 1946 The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

